HBA-EDN H.B. 2368 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2368 By: George Juvenile Justice & Family Issues 7/18/2001 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE District court judges are authorized to assess fees for court ordered social studies in juvenile and family matters. Dallas County has had a $200 limit on such fees and the fees have not been raised since 1994. Although the number of court ordered social studies in this county has significantly increased, there has been no increase in fees to help offset rising expenses necessitated by the additional workload. House Bill 2368 increases the limit on fees assessed for district court ordered social studies in Dallas County. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 2368 amends the Human Resources Code to authorize a district court judge in Dallas County to assess a fee of not more than $250, rather than $200, for a case for adoption, family, or home study investigations ordered by the court. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.